4 Decades of Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘September’ WHAT HAPPENED ONTHE 21ST NIGHT OF SEPTEMBER?
“Do you remember the 21st night of September?”
“I learned my greatest lesson ever in songwriting from him,” Willis recalled in a 2014 interview with NPR, “which was never let the lyric get in the way of the groove.” The groove is why “September” has stood the test of time, right from that very first lyric. For decades, people have asked Willis and members of the band about the significance of Sept. 21. As it turns out, there isn’t much beyond the sound. “We went through all the dates: ‘Do you remember the first, the second, the third, the fourth …’ and the one that just felt the best was the 21st,” Willis explained.
In 1978, Maurice White of the band Earth, Wind & Fire first asked this question in the song “September,” a funky disco song that quickly topped the charts. While disco may be dead today, “September” certainly isn’t. The song is still featured in movies, TV shows, and wedding playlists. On Sept. 21, 2019, the funk hit was streamed over 2.5 million times. It’s no wonder that the Los Angeles City Council declared Sept. 21 Earth, Wind & Fire Day. The story behind “September” is almost as enduring as the song itself. It was co-written by White and Allee Willis, who eventually became a Grammy- winning songwriter and Tony nominee. But before any of that, Willis was a struggling songwriter in Los Angeles living off food stamps. When White reached out and asked Willis to help write the next Earth, Wind & Fire hit, it was truly her big break. White and Willis proved to be excellent songwriting partners, but they clashed over one key element of the song: the nonsensical phrase “ba- dee-ya,” which White included in the chorus. Throughout the songwriting process, Willis begged to change the phrase to real words. At the final vocal session, Willis finally demanded to know what ba-dee-ya meant. White replied, “Who cares?”
The truth is that nothing happened on the 21st night of September — except a whole lot of dancing.
THIRD THURSDAY
SEPT. 17 To Be Announced
OCT. 15 Ghosts, Ghouls, and Your Money
Lots of people want to stab their loan officer in the days before closing on a property, but no one ever does it. Until now, that is, as Greg and Mike arrive at the scene of the baffling crime to try to make sense of the bizarre murder. A wide-open conference room door, broad daylight, and a man somehow stabbed in the middle of it without anyone seeing who did it gives both of them an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu. They know that the best thing to do is leave the crime solving to the police. Exploding warehouses and murderous clowns are hard things to forget. Of course, on the other hand, there’s no harm in poking around and asking a few questions, right?
OCT. 15 Being Thankful for Your Finances ... and the End of the Electoral Season
Join us at noon on Facebook Live or catch the podcast at ThirdThursday30.com.
MARCHTO 1 MILLION UPDATE Current count for the March to 1 Million: 344,612
Check out the entire chapter, catch up on prior chapters, and perhaps learn a few things at DandBLaw.com or Bit.ly/EscrowCh2 .
2 | Wealth Solutions 614-408-0004 | Law Office 614-408-0529
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator